iPhone photos to JPG
An iPhone saves HEIC by default. That is efficient, and a poor fit for Windows, email, and a lot of web forms. You can make new shots JPEG, and you can turn the HEIC files you already have into JPG. Stayshot does the second job in the browser, after the photo is on a computer. It does not change settings on the phone.
Drop HEIC / HEIF from iPhone or iPad here
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Make the iPhone shoot JPG
- Open Settings → Camera → Formats.
- Choose Most Compatible.
- Take a new photo. The file should be a JPEG, not HEIC.
High Efficiency is the default: stills are HEIC. Most Compatible saves JPEG instead. Only new photos follow the switch. Pictures already in the library stay HEIC, at the same size they had before. JPEG files are usually larger, so later shots take more storage.
What a transfer actually sends
Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC has two choices. Automatic asks the iPhone to hand the computer a compatible format. Keep Originals sends the file the camera wrote, which is HEIC if you were on High Efficiency.
A current Mac already opens HEIC, so an import can still give you HEIC even with Automatic selected. Check one file before you assume the folder is JPEG. A Windows PC is where Automatic more often arrives as JPEG. Neither setting rewrites copies that are already sitting on the computer.
Convert the HEIC you already have
Once the .heic file is on this machine, drop it in the converter. That is the HEIC to JPG tool: WASM decode, JPEG encode, no upload. Several files at once are covered in batch convert HEIC to JPG, including 5 free conversions in this browser. The $9 lifetime unlock on Pricing is unlimited conversions in this browser and HEIC to PDF (one or many photos). ZIP download is free. On a Mac, Preview and Photos can export JPEG without Stayshot. On Windows, start with why the photo will not open.
EXIF is stripped unless you enable Keep EXIF. That option copies make, model, capture time, and GPS into the JPG. Orientation is baked into the pixels and stored as 1. Live Photo motion is not included.
FAQ
- How do I make an iPhone take JPG photos instead of HEIC?
- Open Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New stills are JPEG. High Efficiency, the default, saves HEIC. Photos already in the library do not change.
- Will Most Compatible convert the HEIC photos I already took?
- No. The switch applies to new shots. Existing HEIC files stay HEIC until you export or convert them. JPEG also uses more storage than HEIC for the photos you take afterward.
- What does Transfer to Mac or PC set to Automatic do?
- Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic asks the iPhone to send a compatible format when you import to a computer. Keep Originals sends the HEIC. A Mac that already opens HEIC may still receive HEIC — check one file. Windows is where Automatic more often arrives as JPEG.
- How do I turn HEIC files already on my computer into JPG?
- Drop them into the converter on this page. Decode and JPEG encode run in the browser. Nothing is uploaded. EXIF is stripped unless you enable Keep EXIF.
Also see
- HEIC to JPG converter — for HEIC files already on this computer
Related guides
- Batch convert HEIC to JPG — several iPhone photos at once, still on this computer
- HEIC to JPG on a Mac — Preview and Photos first, then the local converter
- HEIC won't open on Windows — why Photos and Explorer reject iPhone files, then convert locally